The New York Giants lost their best defensive player in Week 3 when NFL All-Pro edge rusher Brian Burns suffered a season-ending torn ACL.
Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox proposed a trade that would bring the Giants 6-foot-3, 252-pound Miami Dolphins edge rusher Josh Uche in exchange for a conditional 2027 6th-round pick.
“The Miami Dolphins probably won’t go winless in 2026, but they are 0-3 and face a brutal upcoming schedule,” Knox wrote on September 30. “Furthermore, free-agent addition Malik Willis hasn’t shown quite as much promise at quarterback as the team might have hoped … if Miami’s offensive issues persist, the Dolphins could begin prioritizing 2027 and beyond — and may consider moving impending free agents such as Uche before the deadline. Expect Miami to consider moving impending free agents like edge-rusher Josh Uche before the trade deadline. He has 11 tackles, one tackle for loss and three QB pressures this season, and he can help another team as a part-time defender.”
Uche Had Breakout Season With Patriots in 2022
Uche was selected in the 2nd round (No. 60 overall) of the 2020 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots after putting up 8.5 sacks and 11.5 tackles for loss in his final season at Michigan in 2019.
Uche was a rotational player throughout his time with the Patriots but had a breakout season in 2022, posting 11.5 sacks in 15 games with zero starts while playing only 33 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. The next 2 seasons showed that may have been a mirage — he had just 7.0 sacks in 2023 and 2024.
The 2025 season wasn’t much different — he had just 1 sack in 12 games with the Philadelphia Eagles after signing a 1-year, $1.92 million contract.
Giants Sought Edge Rusher Trade in Offseason
The Giants are now looking for edge rusher depth after Burns’ injury. They felt confident enough in that depth before the season that they were actively looking to trade their 2021 1st-round pick and edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux.
The Giants asking too much for Thibodeaux could end up being manna from heaven — imagine where the Giants would be right now if a team had taken them up on their request for a 2nd-round pick in return.
The Athletic’s Dan Duggan revealed the Giants received offers for Thibodeaux, what those offers were, and why no one pulled the trigger.
“The Giants took trade calls on Thibodeaux this offseason, but they were never looking to give him away, so they kept him when the best offer was a fourth-round pick,” Duggan wrote. “It seems likely Thibodeaux will be elsewhere next year based on the Giants’ investment in Burns and Carter. But the Steelers showed this offseason a team can pay three edge rushers when they gave third edge rusher Nick Herbig a four-year, $100 million extension. The Steelers are already paying TJ Watt ($41 million per year) and Alex Highsmith ($17 million per year). The Giants have some wiggle room if they want to commit to Thibodeaux, since Carter can’t be extended until after the 2027 season while Burns is signed through 2028.”
Giants Urged to Trade Draft Pick for Dolphins Edge Rusher